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0 - 0 I'm ready to receive , my opponent serves a short low serve and suddenly i get confused, not sure what is the best shot to play......

Shouls i play to the back of the court?
Should i play a net shot?
Should i try to play a deceptive shot?
Should i stop playing and go home to see the TV?

Before i've decided i have lost some crucial time..... my question is do you already have in your mind how are you going to play the "second shot" fix patern or you improvise in the last milisecond...

It also happens to me with the reception of the long serve

tks

Observe your opponent and play to his weakness.

If you don't know his weakness then test him. Mix it up. Long, short. Observe. Everyone has a weakness. Capitalize. Deception is always great if you know how to do it without affecting the quality of your shot.

... my question is do you already have in your mind how are you going to play the "second shot" fix patern or you improvise in the last milisecond...
...

It is a good idea to have in mind where you want to return the serve. That choice will be affected by where the server is standing and what you know about his abilities.

Indecision is a killer. While you're thinking, the bird is falling lower, your choice of shot and your time for racket preparation are running out -- then you find yourself hitting a weak lift or putting it into the net.

So have an idea for your return of serve, but be ready to change to Plan B if the serve is a bit unexpected (eg flick).

I'm guessing we're talking about singles. everything has already been said, but the way to give yourself more time i to position yourself properly, make sure you can get to back and front of the court from where you stand to receive.
If you're fast then in singles you should stand a little bit further forwards.
and in doubles (if you're fast) make sure you look as if you're going to move forwards, then if he serves it high (of course in doubles you don't have to move back as far) you're ready for it, and if he serves low then you're right there.

Try it out, if it doesn't work for you then no sweat. Try everything and anything to improve your game.

There's no time to think. You should already be prepared in advance to return the service in a few ways. Assuming level doubles, the best return would be to the midcourt alleys on your side just past the server and beyond the reach of the rear player. If the bird has fallen too low for you to do this, then drive or flat clear it to the backhand corner of the rear player, which will get you a weak reply for an easy kill.

This might go against things people have already said, but...
If you decide before they serve on how you will return the shuttle, then if they serve that way you will have a faster reaction time and be able to use a more effective shot.
However, if they serve differently you will need to re-adjust your thinking and this will extend your reaction time and unless you play a great shot it will cause you other problems.

Watching TV isn't a bad idea, watch some youtube videos of the pros and see what returns they use on different serves.

I don't think you can have a set pattern for every game, it just wouldn't work, as mentioned the best thing to do is be light on your feet, observe your opposite.

Modern badminton is alot faster than old school 'jolly good show' badminton, being mentally quick as well will help as well as being physically quick, sometimes this only comes with practise.

Christ, I was thrown in at the deep end, from playing casual garden badminton to then playing on court with the local county team and them smashing shots to me, I don't think I've ever learnt so quickly the art of being light and nimble, also think in your opponents shoes (literally)...they may also be thinking the same as you...

We all have our favourite service return shot that we generally use. I use the flat push to the mid court area. This works well against most opponent jus make sure its hard enough to go past the net player or ur dead lol.

You can net reply, usually to middle as it lessens angles of reply and usually u get a lift but this shot took me a while to perfect cause its it too loose, it gets killed or if ur touch isnt good enough, it hits the net

You can also drive it flat to the rear corners works well also or drive flat at the server.

Worst comes to worst and u feel you cant attack it, lift it to the corners either backhand or forehand. In lower leagues, players generally lift to backhand corner lol which can work well but if your opponent reads it and hits it overhead everytime, change the shot lol

I believe one DOES have time to think before one receives the serve. Simply look downward or raise your non-racket hand until you're ready. Serve and receive are the only moments you can think/plan 2 or more shots ahead.

During this time, think. What serve would you most likely run into? What return would you use, instead of letting your habit play for you. Your variations would increase your opponents difficult. In fact, you might even be able to think about your opponent's likely reply to your return, and get ready for it, all of these before the rally begins.

Consider this as the much talked about anticipation. This could work well unless your opponent's serve is very deceptive.

What I do, and some players do, is think about the shot before they serve

But this is not always good because once they flick to the back, you will have to suddenly change

So what I suggest is go by instinct

Keep watch of your opponent's position as well e.g if the opponent's rear player standing too far back then half court push, if he standing too close to his partner then push to the rear or if the serve is standing too far back then net

It's also important you mix your shots, so avoid returning the same shot consecutively to keep your opponent guessing

certainly not the last option, because if you give up then you would never improve. Personally, it all depends on the persons skill level, his position, and your skill level.
( this is from my experience XD)newer players( right handed) :
-have more difficult time getting shots to their left rear corner so clear to their back left hand cornerplayers not new to the sport(able to cover the corners well):
- not too much you can do if they are good XD ( Mostly the option here is the clear to their weaker side)If they are standing very close to the service line:
Clear to the backIf they stand over 1m - 1.5m away from the service line:
Drop to the front corners

If you are intermediate you either clear it to the back of their court with an aggressive clear so they dont have time to smash (preferably to their backhand side) or you give them a good drop shot (depends on where the player is positioned and if he is better at the net or if hes better at smashing from the backline)

If you are beginner player that cant clear back to back just give a decent short...make sure you dont send it right on him/her or else good luck running from the back to the net by the time he/she responds with a drop shot.

Now for the short serve usually a clear to the backhand side of the back player is good but against good players will result in a smash. If you are good and your opponent is as well I would suggest a middle lift...just out of reach for the front player but not far enough for the back player to play an offensive overhand shot...and there begins your attack.

EDIT: Long serves are only in singles... doubles long serves are an instant smash (unless the receiving player is badly positioned) Also long serves aren't played much in singles nowadays because it got too easy to smash back. So mostly short serves will be played all around.